Split Second
by team-jacob-4-ever126
Summary: I didn't think it could happen to me...I should've known better. But here I am hiding in my room, too scared to leave the house. Not even Edward can help me now. I'm forever scarred because of one split second.
1. Prologue

Who would ever think that your life could change in a blink of an eye?

"Bella! Please"

That with one decision the people you love are fighting to save your life.

"Please keep your heart beating"

Why didn't I listen to them, I feel so stupid. It's all my fault.

"Bella why didn't you just wait"

I should have just gone home, I should've waited. Now I'm lying here wondering what could've and should've happened.

"Please don't leave me, I can't live without you!"

It's not fair. They shouldn't have to be put through this. It's my entire fault and because of this mistake I will never be the same again.

"Bella No!"

My world changed forever in one split second.


	2. Be Careful Means Nothing

**It's finally here! Please give this story a chance; I think you guys will like it. Please review, it would make me very happy. This takes place between Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.**

**Disclaimer – I own nothing**

**EPOV**

I was very anxious to get home and see my beloved. I know I was going to have a hell of a mad girlfriend when I got there, but it was worth it. If only she would just see how mad that _dog_ makes me. It would save us from a lot of fights. I mean it was her safety I was more concerned about; she had no idea how dangerous a werewolf can be. She'll try to escape any second she gets, even when I'm away hunting for a couple hours. That is why she is at my house under the watchful eye of my family.

"Edward slow down" Emmett yelled from behind me

"Yea if you know she's going to be mad then why are you so anxious to get back?" Jasper asked

"Because he's whipped" Emmett teased

I put my foot out causing him to trip mid leap over a fallen tree. I threw my head back and laughed.

"Hey!" he scolded

After another minute of running the big house was in our view. I could still see that most of the lights were on but my bedroom light wasn't. Hopefully Bella was asleep so I could figure out how I was going to get her to forgive me. I walked up the front steps and into the living room. I was surprised to see that Bella was curled up asleep on the couch.

"She just fell asleep" Esme informed not taking her eyes off her book

I kneeled down next to her and stroked my hand along the length of her brown hair. She stirred slightly at the touch of my cold skin but didn't wake. I studied her face to see if I could sense any discomfort, but happily found none. Usually when she slept was when the closet I could ever get into her mind. After another minute of watching her I kissed the side of her head and sat down next to her.

"How mad is she?"

"I would say she's more upset then mad" Carlisle laughed taking a seat next to Esme

"Why?" I was suddenly very concerned why she would be upset, did that _dog _call her when I was gone?

"When you picked her up she thought you guys were going to spend the night together. Then you just dropped her off to be babysat by us… she cried a little too"

"Now I feel awful…like the worst boyfriend in the world. I thought Jacob might have called and upset her. I was kind of hoping for a reason to kick his ass"

"Edward!" Esme scolded "It had nothing to do with Jacob"

I was so worried all this time about Jacob hurting her and having to protect her from Jacob, just so I could make myself feel better. I should have been paying attention to what the real problem was…me.

"Well Esme it kind of did have something to do with Jacob" Alice said bounding down the stairs

My head shot up at her and she pranced into the living room with Jasper right behind her. I knew it!

"Not like that Edward" she rolled her eyes "She was just mad because she feels like you're parenting her. She feels like she owes it to him…"

"She owes him nothing!" I yelled quietly

"She always feels like she has to do the right thing so in her mind she owes him an explanation as to why she choose _you_" she continued

"Just give her some breathing room every once in a while" Esme suggested

I looked down at my love and figured they were right. I needed to give her some freedom. She wasn't my property and I didn't want her to feel like that at all. If she wanted to talk to…Jacob then she could. With that I scooped Bella up and brought upstairs into my room. Once I laid her on the bed she rolled over and opened her eyes.

"Hi" she smiled

"Hi love" I leaned down to kiss her on the lips "I heard you were upset earlier"

"Oh that" she sighed "I'm fine I just over reacted"

I sat down next to her and pulled her onto my lap, nuzzling her neck "I'm sorry I made you cry. That was not my intention at all; I just wanted you here, safe"

"I know I just thought that we were going to spend the night together. But it wasn't your fault I just assumed wrong"

Way to make me feel guilty.

"I promise you that this weekend I'll take you out somewhere, wherever you want to go. Just the two of us"

"I'd like that" she laughed placing her hands on top of mine that were wrapped around her waist

Well one situation out of the way and now onto the one that I feared the most. I knew she would say anything-even if it meant making me feel extremely guilty- just so she could talk to Jacob.

"I know there's something else bothering you" I whispered

"Jacob" she said with a simple word "Why are you so protective with me about him. He's my best friend Edward. I owe him an explanation"

"No you don't. You don't have to explain yourself to anyone, especially him. He's put you through enough crap" I growled

"He helped me when I needed a friend" she said carefully

I flinched at her words. No matter how much we tried to move on from me leaving her. It always seemed to creep up on us again somehow. I know Jacob pretty much kept her alive and I'll be forever grateful but I'm here now and that chapter of our lives is over, or so I thought.

"You're not my father Edward and I know that sounds mean but…"

"Stop it" I cut her off "Never be afraid to tell me how you feel, and it's not mean, It's true. I'll admit it; I can be a little over protective sometimes"

"A _little" _she laughed

"I just don't want you to think I'm the boss of you. You're free to do what you want"

"So let's make an agreement" she turned her head up to look at me

What do have in mind?" I was skeptical this would involve her seeing Jacob and that's not what I meant when I said she's free to do what she wants.

"You let me see Jacob when I want and you can keep me here when you hunt, agreed?"

"I can't" I sighed

"You just said that I can do what I want" she argued

"You can. Things that don't risk your life" I countered

"I risk my life with you…" She stopped when she saw my expression "I'm sorry Edward. I'm just trying to make a point"

"I know"

"So agreed"

Knowing she was going to see him anyways I sighed and tightened my hold on her "Agreed"

**Bella's POV**

My dad wasn't too happy that I wasn't coming right home after my sleepover with Alice. But he cheered up when I told him I was going to see Jacob. I knew I had to go today before Edward decided to change his mind. I feel like we had actually made progress on the whole 'Jacob' concept so I was going to respect his wishes by calling him and promising to only stay a couple hours. I walked down the stairs and gave Edward a quick goodbye kiss.

"I promise to call when I get there and when I'm on my way home" I promised

"You know I'll worry either way" his hand lingering on my hip

"Just try to have a fun day with your brothers" I smiled softly

"Yea game war" Emmett cheered slapping Jasper's hand

I shook my head at how immature they were and looked at my watch. I hadn't realized but it's almost 10 in the morning, I hope Jacob was awake.

"I'll be back before you even have time to miss me"

I clamored into my truck and revved up the engine. I didn't have much gas but it should be enough to get there, I have to make a mental note to fill up before heading back. I pulled my phone out and dialed Jake's number.

"Hello" he answered yawing

"Hey, it's me"

"Bella? Hey, I was wondering when I'd hear from you. That bloodsucker finally cut the leash" he joked

"Funny but I was just wondering if I can come over?" I asked hopeful

"Yeah I'll be home" he sounded nervous

"I'll be there soon" with that I hung up

Once I passed the sign 'Now Entering La Push' there was no turning back. It felt like I was entering another side of the world. There was the Vampire side, werewolf, and human life side. I laughed at myself, who would have ever thought that when I left my mom in Phoenix I would be hanging out with the supernatural. I pulled up to the tiny red house in record time and Jacob was already waiting on the front step. It had started to rain so we quickly ran into the garage. He leaned against the counter and I crossed my arms.

"So what's up? I'm surprised those leeches let you out of their sight" he laughed

"I'm just cutting right to the chase. I came here to give you an explanation" I breathed

"For what?"

"My decision. I just want you to know that it wasn't an easy one but…"

"Cut the crap Bella, I don't want to hear it" he argued "I hope you and your vamp have a wonderful life together"

"Why is this so difficult for you? You knew from the very beginning that it was him, I'm pretty sure I made that very clear" I yelled back

"Clear for who? Didn't look like that for me. You kept giving me mixed singles 'if only it was simple'" he mimicked "Every time you're with me you feel something and don't lie to me"

"I'm not" my voice shook with rage, he makes me so angry

"I make you nervous and make your heart skip a beat and…"

"Edward does that too" I argued

"Yeah the ice cold, dead vamp does that to you…sure" he rolled his eyes

"Edward was right, I don't owe you anything" I wiped the tear I didn't even know was there

Seeing I was crying Jacob calmed down a bit and took a step closer to me.

"Look Bella. I know I can give you a human life but you're just too stubborn to see that. If only I had more time I wouldn't be damning you to a life of eternity"

"Please don't bring that up" I cried "You know I hate it"

"I'll say anything to get through to you Bella"

"The only thing you're doing is making me upset"

I turned away from him to hide my crying eyes. I knew Edward was not going to be pleased that Jacob made me cry. I felt a hot hand on my shoulder but shrugged it off.

"I love him Jake" I said simply

"And you love me too, but apparently that's not enough" he hung his head "I want you to be happy, I do. I just wonder where you priorities are at sometimes"

"If you want me to happy then accept my decision and leave it at that"

"Bells" he hesitated

"Please"

"Fine" he gave in and I pulled him into a hug

The rest of the day went by quickly; we just talked about random stuff. No supernatural stuff came up at all and for that I was glad. I don't think I can handle much more. It was around 3 in the afternoon when I decided to head out. The rain was starting to get heavy and I didn't want to be stuck in it.

"So I'll see you soon then" I said awkwardly

"Yeah" Jake smiled

I gave him a hug and headed back to my deserted truck. Oh yeah, don't forget to get gas!

"Be careful Bells"

I waved back at him and carefully pulled out of the driveway heading onto the main road. I figured I should call Edward so he doesn't worry.

"Hello love" he answered on the first ring, his velvet voice already soothing me

"I'm on my way back but I'm stopping to get gas"

"I would've gotten you gas, you should've taken the Volvo" he scolded

"Edward I can handle it on my own" I whined

"Do you have money?"

"Yes I do" I rolled my eyes wishing he could see it

"How'd it go?"

"It was…alright. I'll explain when I get back"

"Okay well just be careful driving, the rains really picking up" he always worries

"I will, I love you"

"Love you too"

I pulled into the dingy gas station and lifted the hood of my jacket over my head and opened the gas tank before putting some money into the machine. I only had 20 bucks but I know Edward would take it out to fill it later. As I was putting gas into the truck I noticed a large man with balding hair watching me. I looked around me hoping he was noticing someone else but I was alone here. I shook the gas pump trying to fill the car more quickly.

"Come on" I hissed

The man dropped his cigarette on the ground, stepping on it. He made an advance towards me but I quickly shut the door to my gas tank and put the pump back on the cradle.

"Hey miss?" he said walking up

"Can I help you?"

"Do you have a $5 bill I can have?" his eyes raked over my body disgustingly

"No sorry, I just used it all on gas"

I opened the door to my truck but he grabbed my shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" I yelled

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked

"Husband" I said coldly "And I'm late getting home, he'll be worried"

Okay I know were not married yet but we will be someday. Plus maybe this ass will back off if he knows I'm married. At least the part about Edward being worried is true. He looked at my hand.

"You're not wearing a ring"

"It's at the jeweler's being sized"

I turned the engine on desperately wanting Edward to hold me. He smiled and grabbed onto my arm tugging me from the steering wheel.

"I think you're lying to me" he smirked "You know how I take care of liars

I didn't want to know. I tried to scream but he covered my mouth and I could taste the nicotine on his breath.

"I make them _mine_" he whispered

Before I knew what was happening he tugged on the hem of my shirt trying to rip it off of me. I tried to fight him off but he was too strong. He leaned in closer trying to kiss me and that's when I realized my feet were still free. I did what any women would do; I kicked him where it hurt most. He screamed and fell over.

"You bitch! He tried to grab at me but I swung the door closed and put my truck into drive. I quickly pulled out onto the main road looking behind me nervously. I was so preoccupied with what was going on that I didn't listen to Jacob and Edward's one demand.

"Be careful driving home"

That's when I heard a honking sound before everything disappeared.

**EPOV**

What was taking Bella so long? She called about 20 minutes ago. The gas station was only 5 minutes away. I was starting to get worried, was she hurt? I wish Alice was here, she and Rosalie left to go hunting a half hour ago.

"Edward you still playing?" Jasper asked waving a controller at me

"No. I'm worried about Bella she should be back by now"

"She'll be alright" Emmett brushed off

I got up and started pacing the length of the room. I decided to call her phone. When her voice mail picked up is when I really started to worry and I left a very distraught message.

"Love where are you? I'm worried sick, please call me"

Not more then a minute later my phone rang and I was relieved to see Bella's number on the screen.

"Bella where are you?" I barked

"Is this Edward Cullen?" I was surprised to hear an older man's voice and not my Bella's

"Yes who is this?"

"What is your relation to Isabella Swan?"

"I'm her boyfriend. Why, what happened?" I yelled

"You need to come down to 'Joe's Gas Station' right away. There's been an accident"


	3. Waiting Game

**Here is another chapter, sorry it took soo long but I had no idea how to go about this. I'm going to try and alternate with posting chapters. So the next thing I post will be a chapter for "Impossible Reunions".**

**P.S If anyone has any ideas for either story please let me know via e-mail or review. I would love to hear from you and any idea might help get these stories going faster!**

Before I could give a response the phone slipped out of my hand and hit the wooden floor with a sound that echoed off the walls. I was surprised it didn't break into a million pieces at the force it fell. This was not happening; I just talked to her not more then 20 minutes ago. She was going to get gas for crying out loud. This is my entire fault I should've taken the car to gas; at least she would be safer in the Volvo. Better yet I shouldn't have let her see Jacob.

"Edward what happened?" Jasper asked

I didn't answer. I just grabbed my keys off the side table and burst out the room. I quickly jumped into my car speeding down the road at blinding speeds. I heard my phone going off but I ignored it, they would catch on eventually. Plus Carlisle was already at the hospital and I knew he would call. With my eyes I could see ambulances and fire engines blocking off the street. Cops were directing traffic and I could see smoke rising into the air.

"Jesus Bella please be okay" I prayed

I parked by the side of the road and jumped out trying to see around for Bella. It was still raining so it seemed it was taking them longer to clean up the accident. A pudgy looking police officer with black hair walked up and held his hand up.

"You can't be here" he said simply

Like he's going to stop me I scoffed. I'd like to see him try.

"Someone called me saying my girlfriend was in a car accident" I growled

He jumped at the noise I made and stepped back from me "We need to get this cleaned up first I'm sure your girl…"

"Bart!" another man walked up behind him "He's fine"

He then looked up at me holding out his hand in a friendly gesture.

"I'm Jeff Sanders; I talked to you on the phone" he handed me Bella's phone "You were her last call so we figured you'd be our best shot"

"Yes, thank you for calling" I sighed; I just wanted to see her

He led me to the opposite side of the road where an ambulance was sat. I took this time to look around and saw that Bella's truck was completely totaled along with a blue Chevy. The fronts of both cars were smashed all the way in and the driver's side of Bella's truck was gone. This had me panicking; she was hit on her side. I turned my head in the direction of people talking and shallow breathing. I ran over to the ambulance and there she was, lying in the back and barely moving.

"Edward" she cried once I got there

"I'm right here love" I assured her

"She was very lucky" the paramedic said "If she was going any faster she wouldn't be here right now especially since it hit her side. But we're still not out of the woods yet. I took the police a while to even get her out of the car"

"Oh god Bella" I laid my head down next to hers

"The other person in the car didn't make it" he continued and I was glad Bella didn't hear him. God knows she'd beat herself up over that.

The paramedics were putting an oxygen mask over her now cut up face. It looked like she had gotten in a fight with a cat-and the cat won. I grabbed her hand bringing it to rest against my forehead. I noticed that her shirt was cut open and they were wrapping bandages around her ribs.

"I shouldn't have gotten gas" she moaned

"Shh, don't worry about that now" I soothed

"I don't want to die" she cried

"You are NOT going die, I can promise you that"

I felt like I jinxed myself because her eyes lolled to the back of her head and a monitor sounded saying her blood pressure had dropped.

"Bella?" I yelled gently cradling her face

"She's going into shock" the paramedic yelled jabbing a needle into her arm

There was so much going on and I couldn't comprehend all the thoughts people were having. I heard the driver flip on the siren and we were speeding down the road towards the hospital. My eyes stayed glued on Bella's face and I concentrated on her shallow breathing. It was the only thing that was keeping my panic and anger somewhat under control, especially since if I were driving I could get us there much more quickly.

"As soon as we get to the hospital we'll rush her to the critical care unit and they'll do a MRI to check for brain damage" he continued

I just nodded and soothingly rubbed my hand up and down her arm, praying that she would make it though this. I know my family was probably freaking out as to why I rushed out of the house so quickly but it would just have to wait. Out of curiosity I pulled out my phone and saw 34 missed calls and 27 texts. We pulled up to the hospital minutes later and the paramedics rushed Bella into the emergency room. I jumped out of the ambulance and followed after them.

"Edward?"

I was not surprised when I looked up and saw Carlisle standing there looking very worried.

"What happened?" he continued looking down the hall after Bella

"She…was in a car accident…and their rushing her to do an MRI scan. She went into shock in the ambulance and she wasn't responding…" I dry sobbed

I never showed any emotions to any of my family, mostly for Bella's sake. But for some reason seeing my father there I broke down. I collapsed onto my knees and Carlisle pulled me to him.

"Were you in the car with her?" he asked how did that matter? She was the one hurt

"No, she was coming home from Jacob's and stopped for gas Please go and help her" I begged "I can't lose her

"Stay here and I'll see what's going on"

He rushed down the hall towards the critical care unit. Using all the strength I had left I pushed myself of the floor and into one of the chair in the waiting room. Only Bella could make me feel so weak and vulnerable, she made me feel human. I only wished it had been me in the car; at least I wouldn't be fighting for survival. I should've have let her take the Volvo, she'd be safer in that. Better yet I shouldn't have agreed to let her to see that _mutt_. I waited for what felt like hours trying my best at reading the thoughts of the doctor's and nurses. I needed some knowledge that she was okay.

"Edward?"

I picked my head up out of my hands and stared into the exhausted eyes of my father. I tried reading his thoughts but he was blocking them from me, a bad sign.

"She's stable for the moment but she still hasn't woken up. Her head smashed against the window when she was hit, she had a lot of head trauma and I'm praying that she doesn't have amnesia"

"Oh god"

"Other than that she'll be fine. Her left arm is broken and one of her ribs. She'll be very sore when she wakes up so I don't want her moving around"

"Can I see her?" I was getting really anxious

"Yes but only you for right now once they family gets here I don't want them in the room yet. Do you want me to call them?"

"No, I'll do it. They should hear it from me and I need to call Charlie and I guess Jacob too" I sighed

"Okay come on"

Together we walked through the hallways to the critical care unit where Carlisle pressed a button to buzz us in. This was an awful place to be alone and I vowed that I would not leave her side until she was well enough to go home. Even then I was not going to let her drive…for a very long time, maybe even until she's changed. This has proved to me how it easy it is for me to loose her forever and I was not going to let her do anything that would ever take her away from me.

"I had her assigned to a nicer and bigger room. I know she'll most likely always have visitors"

"Thank you"

We came across a big room at the end of the hall, the chart on the door indicating that my love was in there.

"Here we are" Carlisle sighed "Just remember that she's alive"

I nodded and without a second thought opened the door and I gasped in horror. My beautiful Bella was sat lying in a hospital bed with wires and tubes going every which way. She had a tube going into her nose, a cast on her right arm, bandages all over her face and head, and worst of all, the awful machine next to her bed that was basically breathing for her.

"Oh Bella" I sobbed grabbed her hand off the bed bring it to rest against my forehead "I'm so sorry love. I promised I would protect you, and look where you are"

I looked at her face hoping my words may have had an affect on her. It didn't so I decided to move to a lighter topic

"You know this is going to put a damp on the wedding plans. If you don't wake up soon Alice is going to have this whole thing planned without telling us. I know you wanted to pick out the flowers and center pieces" I smiled at the thought of us at our wedding, perfectly happy

"Please wake up, I need to see your beautiful eyes, please" I begged "I can't live without you"

After trying to get her to wake up for 20 minutes I figured it was time to make some phone calls, Jacob being the last on my list. Pushing myself from my chair I walked to the door silently pushing myself out of the room. Though I kept a close enough distance that I could still see and hear her. First on my list was Esme, I knew she'd be the only call I'd have to make in my family, she'd tell the others and they'd be the first ones here.

"Edward!" she yelled "Where the hell are you? I've been worried sick and neither you nor Carlisle will pick up your phones. Emmett and Jasper said you rushed out panicked"

"Calm down" I pleaded, the last thing I needed was Esme yelling at me "I'm at the hospital"

"What are you doing there?"

"Bella was in a car…accident" I managed to get out

"Oh dear is she alright?" she sobbed

"For the moment she's stable but we're still not out of the woods. She hasn't woken up yet and Carlisle said she had a lot of head trauma"

"Oh god Edward, we're on our way and don't worry we'll call Charlie. You just focus on Bella"

Well I guess all that was left was Jacob. Already having his number in my phone for emergencies like this, I quickly dialed.

"Edward?" he asked "Why are you calling me?"

"Jacob I need you not to freak out and listen to me"

"What's going on?" he pressed

"When Bella was coming home from seeing you…" I started but he cut me off

"She told I made her cry right? I'm sorry that wasn't my intention at all, she just kept throwing stuff at me and I was saying anything to get through to her"

"That has nothing to do with this but I'm a little pissed that you made her upset"

"Well then what happened?"

"As I was saying when she was coming home she got into an accident and I'm at the hospital now"

"Oh my god is she okay?"

"Not really, she hit her head pretty hard and she hasn't woken up yet. Carlisle's hoping she doesn't have amnesia"

"What…how could this… I just saw her!" I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was panicking, just as I had done

"I'm not going to prevent you from seeing her because I know she wouldn't want that"

"I'll go pick up Charlie then I'm on my way"

With that I hung my phone up and I heard muffled voices outside having to do with a car company.

"Really, now" I muttered

I took one last look at Bella, knowing she wasn't going to notice my absence I went to see what all the commotion was about. Carlisle was talking to a very distraught looking police officer who was handing him papers. I walked over confused.

"Can I help you?" I asked

"Yes, I was just talking to your father about the car damages from the accident. I didn't know if you were filing an accident report because we don't know exactly what caused it yet"

"Okay well she hasn't woken up yet but I'll call you when she does and she can file a report if she wants" I told them "I assume no charges are being pressed?"

"No there's no reason, obviously no one was at fault here, and I would just like to know what exactly happened to give the other family a sense of peace"

"Okay well I'll handle the paperwork"

He handed me the papers and I quickly skimmed them over quickly. I laughed at the 'filing a report so you can get some insurance money to pay for damage'. Money was never an issue and besides, there is no way I'm going to fix that death trap Bella calls a car. It was falling apart before this all happened and I was planning on buying her a car anyways. This just gave me a better excuse to get her something nice-but also something with a lot of safety features.

"Okay well call us when you're ready"

"I will thank you"

The rumbling of a truck screeched to a stop in front of us. A very distraught Charlie ran out followed by Jacob. Charlie ran up to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. His thoughts were jumbled up, thinking the worst of what she would look like.

"Where is she?" he asked

"Come on Charlie, I'll take you to her" Carlisle gracefully led him away and into the hospital.

Jacob came up to me, hands in his pocket and I quickly sifted through his thoughts, relieved when I found nothing except pure concern and worry for Bella. The officer gave me a quick goodbye and drove away.

"How is she?" he asked in a monotone voice

"The same" my voice was just as dead as his "But I have faith that she'll wake up soon"

**Day 1**

It has been 24 hours since Bella had opened her eyes and I have not moved from her side. I sat in the hard plastic chair by her bed holding her hand. Charlie was currently sleeping on the pull out couch and Jacob had gone home to be with Billy. Her face remained unmoving, not even the slightest twitch or flinch. She had recently been moved to a larger room so my family, who now occupied the surrounding chairs in the room, could be here. No one said a word but we constantly stared at Bella hoping for some type of movement.

"Her breathing is becoming normal so we can take her off the breathing tube" Carlisle told me

I just nodded in response

"That must mean something" Esme cried

She had taken to this just as badly as I did. Bella was like a daughter to her and it pained her to see her so helpless.

"It means that she's not completely out of it. She has some sense of where she is. It's an improvement but not a big enough one to say that something has changed" Carlisle told us

"But she'll be okay?" Surprisingly it was Emmett that asked. Like me and Esme, he had also stayed since Bella was admitted. He always made a comment along the lines of 'no one hurts my baby sister'.

"I know she will" I pressed stroking her hair

**Day 2**

She was breathing on her own now and that was somewhat of an improvement. It was the middle of the day and no one was here, just Bella and I. Alice were sitting at home trying to see anything that would help. But Alice said it was up to Bella to decide when she wanted to wake up. The rest of my family was hunting, I knew being in a hospital full of blood was taking a toll on them. I started reading to her today; Carlisle said hearing a familiar voice could cause some sort of reaction. I read her book after book but I still got nothing. It was later in the day when I started talking about the wedding again.

"I can't wait to see what Alice has up her sleeve. I know that you'll love it and it will be beautiful. The best part is you'll be all mine Mrs. Cullen"

Her face remained unmoving

"Come on love come back to me" I pleaded "I need to see your beautiful eyes again"

I kissed her forehead and watched as her chest rose up and down weakly. I felt so helpless sitting here. There was nothing I could do to help her.

"You know Jacob and I have been getting along pretty well" I laughed "Imagine that huh, it seems you can bring anyone together. You know your dad is really worried about you. I can hear it in his thoughts, he's having problems sleeping"

I noticed that the breeze from the open window twirled her hair around and I quickly got up to close it. I didn't want her getting cold.

**Day 3**

I was getting more and more frustrated by the second. She had not moved an inch in 3 days. Carlisle was starting to worry that her muscles would become weak so he would make sure that her body didn't stay limp. I picked up her arm and started moving her hand back and forth along with bending her arm. It felt like I was doing nothing but I did it anyways. Jacob took my spot for a while so I could hunt. Our relationship has gotten better and his thoughts have been clean. Plus having Carlisle within hearing distance also helped. Plus maybe Jacob talking to her would make a difference. I was heading back towards the hospital when I heard my phone ring.

"Hello" I said anxiously

"Edward, Bella's making improvements, I suggest you get here fast" My father said a sense of happiness in his voice

"Has she opened her eyes yet?"

"No but her hand started twitching so it could be any day now"

Finally my love will wake up and reenter our lives. I made it back to the hospital in record time to see that my family was watching her intently and Jacob was sitting by the bed holding her hand.

"Come on Bells, open your eyes" he chanted "I know you can hear me"

You would think this would bother me but I know he's just concerned. If anyone could get her to wake, even Jacob then I would be okay with it.

"Anything yet?" I asked taking a seat opposite

"Not since Carlisle called honey" Esme whispered

**Day 4**

Once again it was just Bella and I in the dark room. It was about 3 in the morning and her hand had been moving all night which gave me a sense of hope. My family wanted to be here when she woke up but they knew Bella would be overwhelmed and we still weren't entirely sure if she would remember us. That had me panicking again but I laid my head on the bed and closed my eyes. No more then 10 minutes later I heard the most beautiful sound…Bella groaned and I felt her muscles stretch under me.

"Bella?" I whispered

I picked my head up and saw that her eyes were opened and she looked confused. Oh god that wasn't a good sign. Before I yelled for Carlisle I let her come back to reality. I didn't want to frighten her. I carefully placed my hand against her cheek and smiled when she didn't flinch.

"Your okay" I whispered

"Edward" she cried

My smile enlightened my face and I sighed in relief. I gently stroked her check and she seemed to relish the feeling.

"I'm here love and you're going to be just fine"

Her grip on my hand tightened and I could tell that she was scared and didn't like not knowing what was going on. But I didn't want to bombard her with questions now; I just want to ease her in to things- slowly. She continued to look around the room taking in her surroundings.

"Ow" she moaned placing her hand on her head

"Yeah you're going to be very sore for the next week or so"

More tears flowed down her cheeks and I carefully wiped them away.

"Hey now, everything's okay" I soothed her

"What happened?" she asked and I noticed that her eyes were looking at all the get well presents that filled up the room

"We'll talk later but right now I don't want you to worry about anything except getting better"

"Everything hurts" her voice was hoarse

"I know baby, why don't I have Carlisle come in and check on you. Maybe he can give you something for the pain okay?"

She nodded weakly but quickly stopped her movements and gasped out in pain. It broke my heart to see her so weak and vulnerable. Knowing there was nothing I could do to help her.

"Try not to move" I whispered "I'll go get Carlisle"

I was so happy that I could see her eyes again. She seemed to be in a lot of pain but that was to be expected. I was worried that she seemed pretty out of it and disoriented, but at least she remembered me. I found Carlisle at the front desk filling out some paper work. I ran right up to him the smile on my face radiating.

"She's awake" he looked at me in surprise "She's awake and she remembers me but she's in a lot of pain"

"I can't believe it, I told you she would be fine" he smiled and led the way back to her room.

I walked back in the dark room expecting to find her awake but was disappointed to see she was sleeping again. Panicking I ran over and took her hand in mine.

"Bella, sweetheart wake up" I called to her

Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at me.

"Sorry" she muttered and it was music to my ears "Hi Carlisle"

"Good to see you're awake; you had us all pretty scared these past couple of days. Edward told me you were in a lot of pain"

"I can barely move" I noticed she was playing with the bandage that was wrapped around her wrist and I grabbed her hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Well I can help with that and you're going to have to be really careful. I don't want you moving around. I don't want you doing too much at once, let Edward take care of you please"

As he was talking I noticed him putting pain medication into her IV feed and she immediately relaxed as it hit her bloodstream. I smiled and leaned over to kiss her temple, my lips lingering slightly. She seemed to notice and leaned her head into me but winced.

"Careful love" I cautioned

"I'm very happy that you're not showing any signs of amnesia. I was worried with all the head trauma we found on the CT scan"

"Why would I forget?" she asked confused

There was the question we were dreading, she remembered us but not of anything having to do with the accident. I looked at Carlisle for help and he nodded, answering my question. I turned to Bella placing my hand on her cheek softly.

"Love what's the last thing you remember?"


	4. Why Would I Forget?

**Bella's POV**

"Why would I forget?" I asked confused by his question

Edward looked towards his father as he nodded slowly. He sighed and turned back to me, brushing his hand against my face delicately. Okay there was defiantly something they weren't telling me and it was scaring me.

"Love what's the last thing you remember?" he asked after a minute

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Please just answer it, it's very important" he stressed not removing his eyes from mine and for the first time his gaze was burning a hole, I had to look away.

"Well…" I tried to remember the last thing I did but it was still hazy "I remember leaving Jacob's house and stopping for gas on the way home"

"Do you remember anything after that?" Carlisle spoke up for the first time

Then it hit me, they wanted to see if I could remember the accident. I scoffed and squeezed Edward's hand that was now resting on my lap.

"Yes, I remember the accident. But I'm not sure what caused it. I just recall someone honking at me and then I must've blacked out at some point. When I woke you were there and we were in the ambulance"

"Thank god" Edward sighed with relief and rested his head against my legs. I ran my fingers through his hair softly "I thought you wouldn't remember and I was so scared that I lost you"

"I'm right here" I yawned, my eyes closing in the process "Wait, why wouldn't I remember, did I hit my head? Edward how long was I asleep?"

He laughed "I'll answer all your questions in a couple of hours. I want you to get some sleep first"

He pulled away and wrapped the hospital blanket around my shoulders and placed a kiss on my forehead. He walked over to shut the lights off then joined his father in the corner of the room. With one last look at them I drifted into a very uncomfortable slumber.

When I woke up I realized the lights were still off and I was very stiff. All my muscles ached and I had a massive headache. Someone was holding my hand and I almost jumped when I realized it wasn't Edward, yet the hand was cold.

"Alice?" I asked squinting my eyes

She shifted when she heard me and I could see her white teeth flash in front of my face, obviously relived that I was awake.

"Hey sleepy head" she whispered

"Where's Edward?" he promised he wouldn't leave

"That's the first thing you need to know?" she laughed "I think you guys can sense when the other is not near, it's creepy"

I gave her a an annoyed look

"Okay sorry, Edward went to hunt and he should be home changing now. Charlie was getting a little suspicious so he figured you would be okay if he left for a couple hours, you were sleeping anyways"

I moaned when I felt a sharp pain run through my leg causing me to flinch slightly. Alice let go of my hand and her eyes looked at my face.

"Bella?"

"I'm okay, everything hurts"

"Do you want me to have Carlisle give you more pain medication?" she rose from her seat

"No, it makes me sleepy"

"Are you sure?" she didn't look too convinced

I nodded, bad idea, my head started to spin and it didn't help my already migraine. I took a deep breath waiting for the dizziness to stop. Alice was still looking at me; a worried expression covered her features.

"I'm sure"

She was about to argue but there was a knock on the door. I got my hopes up thinking it was Edward but then again he wouldn't knock. Emmett and Jasper came through the door holding a stuffed teddy bear. I smiled at the thought of them all being so concerned.

"Now Edward said we had to be easy with you, no rough housing" Emmett laughed taking Alice's abandoned seat

"How are you feeling Bella?" Jasper asked in his southern accent

"I'm okay, everything's still a little hazy and confusing, but it's getting better"

"You gave everyone quite a scare there little sis" Emmett said chucking the stuffed bear in the corner of the room with everything else.

"Sorry, uh is Edward coming back soon?"

"Not satisfied with us?" Alice pouted

"I just have a lot of questions, and I miss him"

I don't like being away from him, especially when I was confused and broken. I just wanted him to hold my hand and tell me that everything was okay. I looked down at my hand and played with the bandages.

"Do you want to call him?" Alice asked, she must've caught on that I was upset

I nodded carefully and she smiled dialing a number on her phone before handing it to me.

"Hello" his voice already had my nerves calming down

"Hi" I answered hoarsely

"Bella?" he sounded surprised it was me "What are you doing up already, are you alright?"

"Yes, I just miss you, when are you coming back?" I sniffed

"Oh baby, I'll be back real soon. I just stopped at the car place to see the damage on your truck on my way back. If I knew you were awake I would've waited"

"Oh" I sighed

"Are you sure you're okay? You sound really tired, maybe you should try and get some more rest"

"I'm fine" I protested, I've been sleeping for days, though I still didn't know how many "Plus we have to talk when you get back"

"Okay then how about you shut the lights off and watch a movie, at least rest your eyes"

"Fine"

"How does your head feel?"

"It still hurts and it feels really heavy. If I move too fast I get dizzy"

I was going to tell him I was fine like I usually did but there was no point trying to hide it. Plus I did feel really crappy. "Everything else hurts too"

"I know love, you're going to be hurting for a while but I'll have Carlisle take a look at you when I get back" his voice sounded pained

"Okay, well I love you"

"I love you too, and I'll be back as soon as I can. Can you give the phone to Alice please?" he asked

"Yeah hold on"

I handed it back to Alice and she started talking really fast. I caught the words "Bella", "misses you", and "in a lot of pain". I turned my head towards Emmett who was staring at Alice on the phone.

"Emmett can you put my bed down and maybe put a movie or something on?"

"Sure Bells"

He pressed the button on the side of the rails that slowly moved the bed down so I was lying instead of sitting up. I tried to adjust myself but that was bad idea.

"Ow" I hissed

Both Emmett and Jasper sprung up moved the pillows and helped steady me as I tried to move.

"Hold on Edward" Alice said running over to help move me to a lying position without disrupting any wires connecting to me

"She's fine, she just went to lie down and it was too much for her to do on her own…yeah she's fine now"

Edward must have heard my struggle over the phone. He was probably panicking that I was hurting myself, which I was. After making sure I wasn't going to move again, Emmett finally found some movie that was on TV, though I didn't pay much attention to it. My eyes closed for periods of time but I never fell asleep. Ten minutes later I could hear talking but I kept my eyes closed, not really with it. These drugs were taking a toll on me.

"Is she sleeping?"

"I don't think so, I think she's just really out of it" Alice laughed

I heard more muffled laughter and pressure on my forehead. I knew right then it was Edward, but I wanted to hear what they were saying so I stayed quiet. Plus this was the first time I ever got away with pretending to be asleep, and I wasn't about to give that up now.

"So what happened with her car?" Jasper asked

"Completely totaled, she needs a new one. That truck needed to go anyways. No wonder she got into an accident it was practically falling apart before this happened" Edward placed himself on the edge of my bed, being careful not to move me

"She won't be too happy the can't fix it but that means car shopping for us" Emmett laughed

"Well we have time, it's not like she'll be driving for a while, plus I don't even want her driving"

"When did Carlisle say she could come home?" Alice asked next

"Not for a while, she can barely move. She might have to go though physical therapy if she's not on her feet soon"

At this point I shifted on the bed making them realize I was awake and could hear everything they were saying.

"We'll talk later" Edward whispered to his siblings

I opened my eyes and saw Edward smiling down at me, arms crossed.

"Hi" I yawned

"Hey baby did you get some more rest?" he scooted down so he was eye level with me

"A little, I missed you too much" I whined

He smiled and leaned down to place his lips gently against mine "I missed you too"

"We'll you guys have a lot to talk about so… see you later?"

Everyone gave me sheepish smile and Alice blew me a kiss before her and Jasper waltzed out the door. Emmett was the last to leave and Edward nodded at him.

"Feel better Bella, we'll see you tomorrow"

"Bye Em" once he shut the door I turned to Edward "What was that about?"

"He just wanted to know if he should get Carlisle"

"Oh I thought we were going to be alone for a little while" I muttered

"We will, we have all night. I know you have a lot of questions"

I sighed and Carlisle walked in, clipboard in hand. He walked over to the end of the bed and checked a machine I was connected to before sitting in an empty chair.

"First things first, you look better. How do you feel?" he asked

"I'm still in a lot of pain and I can't move"

"Edward told me you have a really bad migraine. But I can assure you that the tests came back fine and you just have…or did have a slight concussion-which would explain the headache. But you don't have any signs of head trauma and the headaches will fade in a couple days"

"How many days was I…you know, asleep?"

I braced myself for the answer; I mean it was probably only a day right? It doesn't feel like anything has changed that much.

"Please don't be upset but you were asleep a little less then 4 days" he answered

I froze, 4 days; I missed 4 days with Edward. What happened to Charlie? Jacob? Does my mom know?

"4 days?" I cried

"Nothing has changed love; everyone has been here-waiting for you to wake up"

"Where are Charlie and Jacob? Does my mom know?" I babbled out all at once and the heart monitor started beating faster

"Calm down love" Edward whispered stroking my hair

"Charlie has been here everyday and he's home sleeping now. Don't forget that it's still early in the morning" Carlisle laughed

"What about Jacob and my mom?"

"Jacob has been in and out. Your mom on the other hand, she was told but there was a storm in Florida and all the flights were cancelled"

"Of course they were. Perfect timing" I muttered under my breath

"You can call her later" Edward whispered in my ear

"What else is wrong with me? I mean you guys seemed pretty relieved that I remembered the accident"

"Well you hit your head against the windshield and the other car hit your side. We were worried that you might've had amnesia" Carlisle started "Other then that you have a couple of bruised ribs, your right arm is fractured and everything else is pretty scratched up. There might be a couple of scars left over from they tried to pull you out"

It was really sinking in; I was in a car accident. I was asleep for 4 days and I was broken. I felt a tear slip from the corner of my eyes. Of course Edward noticed and he turned towards his father.

"Can you give us a little while?" he asked

"Of course"

Once he left the room, I felt better at once. We were finally alone and I felt like I could vent. Edward buried his face in my neck breathing in my scent.

"Did you leave at all?"

"No" he answered simply knowing what I meant "Up until today I stayed right by your side"

"Thank you" I whispered squeezing his hand

"I thought I lost you" he sobbed "When you passed out on the ambulance… god Bella, don't ever do that to me again"

"I was so scared" I whimpered "I was just looking at the road and bam! Next thing I knew I was being squished like a pancake"

Edward flinched at my words and buried his face deeper into me "I was scared too. Seeing you so helpless and knowing there was nothing I could do. If I were with you I could have protected you"

"Let's just focus on the fact that I'm here and you're here and I'm getting better by the minute" then I figured I better tell him what was on my mind "Edward, I don't think I want to drive for a while though, unless you're with me"

"You read _my _mind" he laughed "I don't want you driving at all, for a long time"

"Well at least we agree on something" I smiled

I felt him smile against the skin on my neck and he carefully draped an arm across my middle. I tried to move myself closer and Edward positioned himself so I could do so without hurting myself. I ran my fingernails along his arm and I swear if he wasn't a vampire I could've sworn he was asleep. I hope my dad didn't come in and see us lying like this, although I had no intent to move and neither did Edward.

"Edward?" I whispered

"Mmm" he kissed my neck

"I love you"

"I love you too, so, so much"

I'm not sure how long we lay like that, but neither one of us moved or talked. It was very peaceful and not even Carlisle came to bother us. I never fell asleep but having Edward's cool body next to me was soothing my aching muscles in a way. I could tell morning was arriving because I could see streaks of purple and pink start poking through the blinds of my dark room. I stream of light hit Edward's arm and the faucets shined, each catching the light for a brief second. I ran my hand over his arm and he responded by rubbing my stomach in soft circular motions. I was right where I wanted to be, as long as Edward was with me, we would make it through this. With that thought I focused on his soothing pattern against my stomach and let it lull me into a much more pleasant sleep.

**Please review and Jacob will be making an appearance in the next chapter. How will he react when he sees Bella and Edward lying so cozy together?**


	5. For Better Or Worse?

**Edward's POV**

Bella eventually fell asleep in my arms and I was thankful. I know she hasn't had a good rest in a while. Well besides the fact she was in a coma for four days, she's been scared to close her eyes since. I think having me near her calmed whatever was scaring her so much. I mean could you blame her, she was just in a car accident, she should be scared. She can barely move and her car is totaled. This just proved to me how fragile and human she was. One thing had me scared, before when we were talking she had said one thing.

"_Edward, I don't think I want to drive for a while though, unless you're with me"_

I mean sure she would be scared, I mean that's to be expected but the look in her eyes told me that she was absolutely terrified.

"Oh how I wish I could see into the mind of yours" I leaned down to kiss her forehead "Then I would know what's really bothering you so much"

After a while I was surprised that she was still sleeping, it's been almost 2 hours. I heard footsteps approaching the room before I smelt the dog. I sighed but made no move to untangle myself from Bella. I was far too comfortable and I didn't want to risk waking her. There was a hesitant knock on the door and I whispered a soft come in. Jacob entered the room quietly his eyes looking strained.

"Hey Jacob" I whispered sitting up in a more polite fashion

Even though the lights were off I knew we could both see one another. I knew it was making him uncomfortable to see us lying like this, but he'd have to get over it.

"Sorry to interrupt but I was having trouble sleeping. I was worried about her and I thought she'd be awake"

"No it's fine, she should be awake soon. She's been out for almost 2 hours now" he started walking around the room anxiously "Jacob… you know I'm not mad at you right? I know you care about her as much as I do and that you just want what's best for her"

"Yea but if I didn't make her upset or if she didn't come at all then maybe…"

"This wasn't your fault" I said seriously

He sat down in an empty chair on the other side of the room

"Do you think she'll be okay with me being here?"

I sighed wanting to tell him that she wouldn't want him here, but we both know that wasn't true.

"Yes she will" I finally said "I'm not mad but can I ask you a question? Why _was_ she upset when she left?"

"I knew this was coming" he sighed "I just kept throwing jabs at her. I was trying anything to get through to her"

"You know that I love her no matter what, I would never do anything to hurt her. Though we're not in a very good situation right now" I laughed without humor

I felt Bella's heart rate speed up slightly and then a groan escaped her lips. Both Jacob and I waited patiently for her eyes to open. Eventually she stretched but she didn't wake up, instead she turned her face so it was pressed into my chest.

"Wow she must be exhausted" Jacob laughed

"Usually she talks in her sleep but I think Carlisle has gone a little overboard on her pain medication. Even when she's awake she's a little groggy. It's kind of amusing actually"

"Really?" he asked

There was another knock on the door and Emmett and Alice stepped quietly into the room. When they saw Jacob was sitting in the corner the both gave me a look, about to argue the fact he was here. I put a finger to my lips, indicating them to be quiet for Bella and leave Jacob alone. I knew Bella would be mad if we were fighting over him being here.

"Aw, she's not awake yet, I bought some new clothes for her to wear" Alice whined

"I don't think she'll want to move to change" I countered "Besides a nurse came in yesterday to give her a sponge bath and she said that was painful"

"We'll see when she wakes up" she huffed leaning against the wall

This time Bella rolled over more and her eyes opened, exposing her brown pupils to me. I moved myself so she would have more room to stretch, not that she really could.

"Edward?" she questioned

"Hey baby, how do you feel?" I whispered giving her a chance for her eyes to focus

"Sore" she mumbled "Can you raise the bed so I can see?"

"Yea"

I raised the bed slightly and it didn't escape my notice that she winced slightly at the action. I fluffed the pillow behind her head and also the one her leg was against. She looked surprised that people were in the room staring at her.

"Oh, hi everyone" she blushed embarrassed "Jacob?

"Hey Bells" he smiled "You look good"

"Yea right" she laughed then looked at me "Have you guys been getting along?"

I just smiled and leaned in to rest my lips against her temple, inhaling the scent of her hair.

"Okay Bella I brought some new clothes" Alice jumped up from her spot and started pulling out some sweats and a t–shirt.

"Alice" I warned

"No it's okay, I probably smell anyways" she laughed lightly

Alice came over to the bed but I realized we weren't alone. Emmett and Jacob looked uncomfortable being in here. Plus I don't want them seeing her while she was getting dressed.

"Why don't you guys go and get her something to eat, a grilled chicken wrap?" I suggested

Jacob nodded slowly and they exited the room, leaving only the three of us.

"Okay Bella just let me know when to stop if I'm hurting you. I'll try to be as careful as possible" Alice said

She grabbed the hem of the hospital shirt she was wearing and started to remove it and already Bella cried out in pain.

"Ow hold on a second" she moaned

Alice let go immediately and stepped away from her.

"I'm so sorry" she cried

"No, I'm okay" she promised

I sat down on the bed and placed my hands under her shirt and slowly lifted it above her head. Her torso was all bruised one side of her stomach was swollen. I would have to have Carlisle look at that later. We carefully took one of her arms out of the sleeve but she hissed.

"Edward stop!"

My hands left her skin and I backed away from her just as Alice had done.

"I need a minute to rest" she gasped lying back on the pillows

I moved closer and lightly placed my hand on her back, I hated seeing her so broken, knowing that even my touch could hurt her. She was already worn out from a simple task and that scared me. There was nothing I could do to help and that made me want to explode. Her breathing eventually went back to normal and she instructed us to continue. We finally got her shirt off and I gasped in horror. Covering almost her entire shoulder was a large blistered burn. I carefully brushed my fingertips over it and she hissed.

"Sorry love"

"Its fine it just stings when anything cold touches it, even if someone breaths on it"

"Did they do anything for it?" Alice asked

"They bandaged it but it kept rubbing against it and it hurt more so they took it off" she explained

As we got her shirt back on and started on her pants it was really dawning on me. Bella, the love of my life, my reason for existing, was in a car accident. I was thankful it wasn't worse but we would have a long and draining healing process. Carlisle already said she couldn't attend school for the rest of the year. This didn't make a difference seeing there was only about and month and half left. I would usually savor the look of my angel sitting there in her underwear but I had to look away. Large scraped and bruises covered her legs and one was wrapped in a brace.

"I don't think I'll be walking for a while" she sniffed holding back tears

"Can you move them at all?" Alice asked

Bella huffed in an attempt to lift her left leg, I watched nervously as it ever so slightly rose off the bed. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"See, you'll be up and walking in no time. Now let's get your sweats on so you can have some lunch"

I wrapped one arm around her waist and one under her butt so I could rise her slowly and

Alice could slide the pants on her. I placed a kiss on her cheek, holding onto her longer then I should've had. I could feel it, I was breaking down. Seeing her struggle with the simplest task, it was too much for me to handle. My angel understood what I was doing.

"Edward its okay" she whispered

I heard Alice sigh quietly before excusing herself from the room, giving us a minute alone. I started dry sobbing and I couldn't seem to stop. Bella didn't say anything and she didn't need to. I just wanted her to hold me, I needed to know that she was safe in my arms and nothing was going to happen to her ever again.

"Edward broke down" Alice whispered

"Whoa, really? This must be hard on him" Emmett whispered along with her

"I never thought I'd see the day when that happened" Jacob added

"He was just helping me get her changed-which was not easy to witness, she's so helpless- and he practically has a death grip on her"

The rest of the family had recently showed up and were all waiting for me to let them in.

"I wouldn't go in there, Esme" Alice warned my mother "Give them a minute"

I tangled my hand in her hair and brought her head closer to me. I breathed in her scent and relished it. Her hand reached out to do the same, lightly running her fingers through my scalp.

"I'm sorry love"

"Never be afraid to show your feelings to me honey" she whispered in my ear "You can't be the strong one all the time"

"Jacob's back with your food" I desperately wanted to change the subject of my weakness "They're all outside waiting for the okay to come in"

"Okay, but I want to talk about this with you later" she said sternly

I ignored the comment and went to open the door. Esme pulled me into a hug then rushed over to Bella. She smiled warmly at her while my mother silently cried. Alice also skipped to her side. Rosalie walked in after carrying my comforter from my bed and my pillow.

"We want to make you feel as comfortable as possible, I know you like Edward's bed" she went and laid my comforter over Bella and she tangled her hands in the soft fabric

"Thanks Rosalie" She smiled sheepishly

"And since everyone thinks Edward sleeps here we also brought an air mattress" she continued

"Along with pj's, bathroom things, and DVD's for you guys" Esme added placing her hand on Bella's cheek

Emmett walked up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay bro?"

"No" I answered truthfully "But I will be"

Esme and Rosalie commented on how well she looked and Alice exclaimed running to grab a brush.

"I never thought Alice could be so…gloomy" Jasper said "This is the first time since the accident she's smiled. The day it happened just you were here over night and at home it was just depressing. Everyone sat in their rooms until it was time to come here. I know we my have given you a hard time for falling in love with a human. But honestly, she's the best thing that's ever happened to this family"

"Thank you, you have no idea what that means. She always feels like a burden to us, no matter how many times I tell her that's ridiculous"

My gaze wondered over to Bella as Esme, Rosalie, and Alice were brushing her hair and washing her face up. She looked more vibrant and herself. That sight alone made me smile. They ended up leaving it down and pinning up the sides with barrettes, she looked beautiful.

"Bells I got you some lunch, you look like you haven't eaten in a while"

Jacob rolled over the tray and set the bag of food in front of her. Esme went about setting it on a plate to make it easier for her to eat.

"I've got to head but I'll see you soon okay?"

"Thanks for coming Jake" she smiled warmly

He nodded at me before shutting the door behind him. My gaze returned to Bella as Esme helped cut pieces of chicken for her. She used her fork and began slowly eating her lunch. I could tell she wasn't that into it, but probably knew I would scold her for not eating. She slowly placed a piece of chicken in her mouth, chewing carefully before forcing herself to swallow. Immediately I saw her face go pale and she started coughing, Esme frantically patting her back. Bella covered her mouth and was breathing heavily. I walked over to her, leaning down so I was looking into her eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked gently

"I don't think food was a good idea. I feel like I'm going to puke" she moaned

"It's probably because of all the medication in your system. It's playing with your appetite. That and you haven't eaten anything in a couple of days. We can start with some crackers later okay?"

"Okay"

"_Should I go get your father?" _Esme thought

I shook my head, he would be in later to do another evaluation and I'm sure that my theory was correct. I do have three medicals degreed. Alice got rid of the food, tossing it into the trash can. Bella looked up at me pleadingly and tried to scoot over.

"Sit with me please?" she begged

I smiled lightly and perched myself carefully next to Bella. Her head lay on my shoulder and her eyes started to droop slowly. I pulled my gold comforter over the both of us, hoping it would keep her warm with my body next to hers. I shifted my shoulder so her head fell more comfortably on my chest.

"Edward?" my mother whispered "We'll go on a quick hunt and come back later. Charlie will be here soon anyways. He'll probably want to see her without an audience"

She lightly kissed Bella's cheek and my head before following the rest of my family out of the room.

"You can go to sleep you know" I laughed at her attempt to her to stay awake "The more you rest the sooner I can take you home"

"Do you think I'll have to stay in this room much longer?" she asked

"If you get a good night's sleep tonight maybe I can allow a quick ride around the hospital"

She nodded and settled herself against me again. Neither of us talked for about 10 minutes and I was hoping she would doze off. But then I smelt the most delicious scent, Bella's blood. She gasped and moved to sit up and I felt droplets fall onto my hand. I pulled away sharply to see where she was bleeding from. Her hand was over her nose and she looked like she was about to pass out.

"Jesus Bella" I hissed and leaned over to grab a tissue

"I'm sorry"

I pulled her hand away and quickly cleaned her face before squeezing the tissue under her nose.

"Tilt your head back"

She did as I said and I gently held the back of her head to give her some support. She started crying and I was trying to calm her down whilst trying to control the monster within me.

"Your okay Bella"

After a minute I pulled the tissue away and was relived when the bleeding slowed.

"Hold this for a second"

I quickly ran into the bathroom and grabbed a wet washcloth to wipe away the remainder of this fiasco. Quickly rushing back to Bella I saw that she was still crying and panicking slightly.

"Sweetheart, you need to calm down, everything's okay. It's just a little blood" I chanted to her

I grabbed the tissue from her hand and dabbed under her nose and cleaned her fingers. I placed my index finger under her chin and tilted her head up again. It looked like it stopped bleeding…for now.

"See, it stopped" I smiled at her "You're okay"

I took my seat next to her again and she fell back into me

"I'm sorry, I'm falling apart"

"Then we'll just put you together again"

She laughed slightly at that and played with the silk that covered my comforter. She sniffed she continued to stare a piece of string that was hanging loosely.

"It was nice of them to bring this. It almost feels like I'm in your bed"

"I'm glad"

It was the following morning and Bella was currently sitting up in bed and we were getting ready to finally get her out of the bed. I had promised her last night that I would take her to see something besides her hospital room walls. Carlisle came in late last night when she was sleeping to remove almost all of the wires from her body. Of course being Bella she didn't let me forget of our adventure. We were going to meet Charlie down in the food court before he had to head to work. He hated knowing that his time was limited to spend with his daughter. He didn't approve of me being here 24/7 either. But as far as he knew I came here before and after school.

"Are you almost ready?" Bella asked

"Yep"

Carlisle had also fabricated a story that me and the rest of my siblings had got into college early and wouldn't be attending school for the rest of the year. I just hope Charlie never asked me any questions, that would not go over well. I grabbed the wheelchair that was leaning against the wall and rolled it over to the bed. I was surprised when Bella had agreed so quickly to this. Either she was really in need for a scenery change or it was just really painful to move. I hope the first one was the case.

"I need help" she smiled at me

"I know love, let's take it easy okay"

I walked over and lifted the bed so she was practically sitting up already. I then reached under the covers to gently guide her feet over to the side of the bed.

"Doing okay so far?" I asked nervous I was hurting her

"Yea my legs are just really stiff"

I went up and placed one hand under her butt and the other around her waist and gently started to lift her.

"Edward hurry please" she gasped out of breath

"Hold on love"

I hurriedly tried and placed her in the chair, making sure the leg that was braced was propped up on the foot rest. I lay yet another, smaller, blanket from my bed on her along with a pillow.

"Are you set?"

"Yep" she smiled "That wasn't as bad as I thought"

I smiled with her and leaned over to give her a gentle kiss. She just proved to me how fast she could bounce back from a traumatic experience.

"I love you" I whispered

"I love you too"

Shutting the lights off in the room we made our way through the crowded hallways. I smiled when Bella stretched her limbs, enjoying the freedom.

"Enjoying yourself love?"

"You have no idea" she laughed

We said our hello's to a couple of nurses and doctors that we knew before we finally reached the hospital kitchen. Charlie was already sitting down, drinking some coffee.

"Hey Bells, you look great"

He leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek then shook my hand.

"I feel much better. Carlisle took all the wires out me last night and hopefully I'll be able to eat soon"

I wheeled her over to the table and took a seat next to her.

"So has anyone said anything about when you can get out of here?" Charlie asked

"No" she mumbled

"I'm not sure if she'll have to go through physical therapy or not " I added "It all depends on how fast we can get her up and moving"

"You'll be fine"

"Has mom said when she'll be down?"

"I told her that you were getting better and making improvements. Last I talked to her she was trying to get a flight out here. Everything's been cancelled since the storm hit, she's doing everything she can to get out here"

Bella looked like she was holding back tears at the news. She and her mom have talked once or twice since the accident. She was stuck at the airport and only had limited access to a phone. I know she was okay with having me and my family but I know she needed her mom. She and Charlie continued to talk for a little while I announced that I had to leave. I had to make it at least look like I was going to school. In reality I was really driving home to grab some things then coming right back after Charlie left.

"Please stay, I don't want you driving" she called after I gave her a hug

"I will be right back" I whispered

"Don't go, I need you to stay with me" she sounded scared

"Love I'll be gone 5 minutes"

"I need to know that you're okay and to do that you need to stay with me" she started crying

Charlie and I exchanged worried glances at each other then we both stared at Bella who seemed to be getting more anxious by the second. She knew I was a vampire, nothing could hurt me. This must be the breakdown Carlisle said would happen. She's scared that I'll get in a car crash and not come back to her. Screw trying to convince Charlie, she needed me.

"Bells, he needs to go to school" Charlie tried to reason with her

She grabbed onto my hand in a death grip "No, Edward please stay, don't go!"

I leaned down to her level and she grabbed me in a hug, squeezing me as tight as she could. I hushed and tried to calm her tears. She was really starting to worry me. She honestly believed that something would happen to prevent me from returning to her.

"Okay, I'll stay right here with you. Just take a deep breath"

She was clawing at my shirt like it was the last time she'd ever see me. Just when I thought we were making improvements, she seemed to be getting worse.


	6. Our Love Will Pull Us Through

**I feel like I haven't updated this story in forever. A lot has been going on in my life and every time I sat down, I would write a page, then a week later write another, and it just dragged on. Hope it's long enough for you!**

We finally got her back to bed after I called Carlisle to come help me. He had agreed with me that it was some form a breakdown. In her mind set she truly believed that I was going to get in a car crash. Though she didn't have the same panic attack when Charlie left to go to work, Carlisle had said she only felt this way because we were the closest. Rosalie and Emmett were currently in the room with her and I was discussing car issues.

"We would still like to talk to her and figure out what happened" the police officer pulled me out of my thoughts

"Is that really necessary? I mean we know that it was no ones fault and I don't want to traumatize her any more than she already is"

"She's already had an episode and as her doctor I don't need added stress on my patients. I really think that now is not the best time" Carlisle interjected

"Okay, I guess we can call off the questioning for now. Keep me in touch as to when the patient is well enough to make a statement" he sighed "As for the car… I don't think you can get a lot of money from the insurance to get a new one. As I'm sure you are well aware of, that truck was very worn down and pretty much dead anyways"

"I figured as much, we were planning on getting her a new car anyways. Money isn't an issue"

He nodded and handed me the paperwork that Bella and I had to go over. Well I would be the one filling it out; no more stress is needed on her shoulders. I promised to let him know a better time and then he left.

"I don't think we can let this go. She'll have to talk to someone eventually Edward"

"I know and I'll talk to her later. I want to get to the bottom of what her fear is and see if I can help"

"Okay, well I have other patients to attend to. Call me if you need anything"

I nodded thanks and quietly opened the door to Bella's hospital room. I was happy to see that she was curled up on the bed, tangled in the sheets. I know that since Carlisle had removed her wires she had been getting better sleep.

"I'm guessing she was too sick to eat?" I whispered to them

"Uh…yeah she took a couple bites then she started to feel sick again" Rosalie said not breaking away from her magazine

She still has a ton of morphine in her system so her appetite is not up to normal quite yet. Of course this was making her even more weak and tired.

"What happened out there?" she continued

I sighed "They want to talk to her about what happened but Carlisle convinced them to wait. She's fragile enough as it is without being interrogated"

Just then my phone rang and I hurriedly picked it up, glancing to make sure my ring tone didn't disturb Bella. She remained unmoving.

"Yes Alice?" I asked

"I didn't wake her, did I?" she asked

"No, she's still sleeping. What do you need?"

"Nothing, just letting you know that Renee finally got a flight out and is heading straight to the hospital. She should be there soon"

"Uh…okay thanks Alice"

"How is she?"

I tuned back to look at her "Better. I'm going to see if we can get her on foot tomorrow. Last thing she needs is to go through physical therapy for weeks"

"She'll be fine, that much I know. I'll talk to you later"

I placed my phone back in my pocket then stood over Bella to gently place a kiss on her cheek.

"Renee is on her way now. We should probably not make it seem like I've been living here for a week "I laughed "She does think we go to school"

We started picking up dirty dishes and wrappers. Rosalie folded the blankets on the cot that I 'slept' on. I quickly ran into the bathroom in case Renee had to use it. Emmett cleared off the table that had magazines, cards, and books on it.

"You guys should probably leave for now. Charlie thinks that you guys are away at college. There's no need to risk getting caught"

"Yea we can go hunting tonight" Emmett shrugged

"Maybe tomorrow morning we can get Bella on her feet, if you don't mind helping" I asked my brother

"Yea, no problem" he said glancing at her

They left to go hunting and I sat quietly waiting for Renee to arrive. Carlisle came in a couple times to check her morphine levels and he assured me that she was in no pain and that's why she was sleeping so soundly. He had also agreed that we could get her up and moving as soon as she woke up. For this Emmett was going to stay and help. I probably can do it on my own but I felt better having someone else there. Plus if I broke down again, he would have no issues helping her to stay standing.

I stiffened once I heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching and sat up in my seat.

"Come in" I whispered when she knocked

Renee entered the room looking more tired then ever. Her hair was tangled and there were deep circles under her eyes.

"Hi, Edward" she whispered back, her eyes meeting Bella's face

"How was your flight?" I asked

"Tiring. Between waiting to get a flight and worrying about Bella, I'm exhausted" she sighed

"Well you're more than welcome to take a shower here" I offered

"That's okay honey" she smiled "I was just stopping by tonight then I'm going to head over to Charlie's. He actually invited me to stay with him while I'm here, said I could sleep in Bella's bed"

She moved closer to Bella and seemed to study her face while I saw a tear slip down her tanned cheek.

"She looks so peaceful yet broken"

"She's sleeping much better and believe me Renee when I tell you that she is much better then she was"

"That's good to hear" she smiled up at me "Thank you for being here when I couldn't. Most guys I know would think this was too much and ditch her. I'm happy to know that you're not one of those people"

"I would never leave her, especially now"

She took the empty chair and sunk down next to her daughter, lightly stroking her cheek. I knew it killed her not being able to be here the whole time. She looked at her with such love and I felt bad.

"What happened exactly?"

"She was pulling out of a gas station and the two cars collided. The guy in the other car died and Bella was very lucky"

"I should've been here…I feel so helpless" she cried

"There was nothing that could've been done" I said sadly "I was just down the street and I couldn't have done anything"

"At least she's safe now"

Renee didn't stay long for more than one reason. She was very tired and was practically falling asleep waiting for Bella to wake up. It was also hard for her to see her daughter like this. Every time she discovered a new bruise or cut, she would break down saying what an awful mother she was. Thank god Bella wasn't awake to her mother at her weakest point.

It was early morning and Bella was up and trying to eat her breakfast. We started giving her some toast and it seemed to go down okay. She was excited that she was getting to try walking today.

"What if I can't do it?" she asked

"Then we'll just have to wait a couple more days" I smiled at her "I don't want you rushing, just take your time and let us help you"

"I just want to go home"

I leaned over to place a kiss in the top of her head. I wanted nothing more then to hold her close on our bed and be able to take care of her. It was such a distraction to be close with her here. We had a never ending flood of nurses and visitors interrupting every kiss or touch between us.

"I want you home more than anything but they won't release us until they think you're ready"

"I like the way you said _us_"

I rolled the tray away from her and she leaned over to pull socks on her feet. There was a knock on the door and Emmett walked in.

"Ready to walk Bells?" he smiled

"I just hope I can"

"Come on, there's no time to waste" I smiled at her "Please just take it slow. Remember that it's okay if you can't do it right now"

Emmett held one of her arms and her waist while I stood on the other side. We both carefully guided her up into a sitting position. Making sure my brother had a good grip on her I spun around to grab the walker the nurse left last night. Though we would be holding most of her weight I wanted her to have something to grab onto.

"Here put this on" I handed her a zip up hoodie so she could cover herself

She was only in a bra but the bandages were pretty much covering everything. She placed her hands on the bars of the walker and tried pushing herself up. We reacted immediately while Emmett supported her arms and I grabbed her waist.

"You doing okay?" I asked her

"I'm just really weak" she whimpered

She got herself standing and I could see her legs wobble slightly at the added weight. The muscles in her arms were exposed as they tried to adjust.

"I don't want the walker" she muttered

"Love… it will help you"

"I want to see if I can do it by myself. If I fall you'll catch me anyways"

"I don't think…"

"I promise to let you help me if I need it"

"Fine but not too fast please"

She nodded and took a hesitant step forward and then another. We both moved with her but she never seemed to falter. She wanted to prove to me as much as everyone else that she was fine and ready to go home.

"You're doing great Bells" Emmett looked up and smiled at me

We made it out of her room and past the nurses' station. Carlisle smiled when he saw us walking towards him.

"Bella, it's so good to see you up and walking"

"It feels really good" she laughed

I was overcome with relief and happiness. She was finally getting back to herself. She was going to make a full recovery physically but mentally was another question. Would she ever be able to ride in a car without fear? What would happen when I had to leave again, or take a car somewhere? I couldn't carry her all the time.

"I told you I could do it" Bella's voice broke me from my thoughts

"I knew you could"

Right then I knew I had to get her out of here. Being trapped in a hospital wasn't doing much for her health. I wanted nothing more then to take her home and have my family care for her. I knew she'd be a whole lot more comfortable there.

"Emmett can you take Bella back to the room?"

He looked confuses for a second but nodded. I caught Bella's worried glance but I mouthed the words _'it's fine'_ towards her.

**Bella's POV**

I was so happy that my legs worked. Of course it was pretty painful to actually be walking, but I wanted to prove to Edward that I can go home. It concerned when I suddenly felt his hands leave my waist.

"Emmett can you take Bella back to the room?"

I looked up confused but he was over talking to Carlisle.

"Its fine" he mouthed

Emmett towed me back towards the room, carrying much of my weight this time. I was extremely tired all of a sudden. What if Edward left and something happened? What if he didn't come back?

"He's not leaving is he?"

"I don't think so" he shrugged

I groaned when we stopped in front of my dreaded hospital room door. I wish I could've just kept walking right out the front doors. Like that was even possible. He opened the door and we slid in the room. Suddenly the big chair by the window seemed to be calling my name.

"Can I sit there?"

"I guess so" he laughed "not feeling the bed anymore Bells?"

"There's probably a permanent butt print in it"

"Cracking jokes again? You must be getting better"

"I'm serious! Edward hasn't let me leave that bed since I got here" I laughed "Wait…actually he brought me down to the Café to see Charlie, but that was only for 10 minutes and it was one time"

He shook his head smiling and hoisted me up into his arms before gently placing me in the chair. Wow, it felt nice to put my butt on anything but that horrid mattress. I put the recliner up so my legs were resting up right. Emmett jumped into the bed that was now empty.

"You're right, I almost fell in"

"You're so rude" I crossed my arms

"Comfortable?" he asked after a minute

"Very"

He turned the TV on and o reached for a magazine that was sitting on the nightstand. After a couple minutes Edward walked into the room with Carlisle behind him. I was so relieved that he didn't leave. His eyes bugged when he didn't see me but his brother in the bed.

"Why aren't you in bed?"

"Relax; I just wanted a change for my butt"

He came over and leaned down next to the arm of the chair, stroking my arms softly.

"I have some good news for you"

"What?"

"Carlisle had agreed to let you go home…"

"Really!"

He nodded "Thought you have to remain in bed and let us take care of you. You're being discharged but only because you'll be under strict surveillance at home"

"I don't care, I get to go home"

Renee and Charlie stopped by after he got home from work. We told them the good news and they were very grateful towards Carlisle for taking care of her. Edward was currently helping me take a bath. I so was convinced that I could take a shower by myself but Edward quickly shut that down. He said that the last thing he needed was for me to slip and fall.

"When do I get to leave?"

"Anxious are we?" he laughed

"Yes, I want out of here"

"I can tell. Probably later tomorrow night"

"That's good and it will be easier for my mom and dad to visit"

He nodded and helped me add more bubbles to the water and also added more hot water. I enjoyed not being connected to wires and actually having a real bath. Before, a nurse would come in and give me a sponge bath. Worst part was is that they made Edward leave.

"So what's on your mind?" I asked after he rinsed my hair out

"How did you know?" he chuckled

"Because I love you and I know when something is bothering you" I shrugged like it was that easy

"You're right that something is bothering me" he reached over to pull the drain from the bathtub

"What's wrong?" I asked suddenly worried

He kissed the tip of my nose and wrapped me in a fluffy towel that he brought. He said that the hospital ones were disgusting and not as soft.

"We'll talk once I get you warm and dressed"

His voice sounded distraught and concerned. Did I do something wrong? He helped me into some soft fleece bottoms and a tank top. I wasn't aloud to wear long sleeves when I was sleeping since Carlisle thinks I would rub against my cuts and they would start bleeding again. Edward shut the lights off in the room and came back to bathroom to pick me up.

"I could've walked"

"I know but you're going to tire yourself out"

He placed me in front of him, between his legs and brought his gold comforter over both of us. He buried his face in my neck and I clutched his arm that was resting in front of me.

"What are you so scared of?" he asked suddenly

"What?"

"The other day when I tried to leave you had a breakdown. You truly believed that I wouldn't come back to you"

"I'm not scared of anything" I mumbled, obviously lying but I didn't want him to know the truth. He'd think I'm a baby.

"You're lying to me" he snapped "Why won't you talk to me? We all know you've been off and I just want to know what's upsetting you so much so I can fix it"

"I'm fine" I argued

"No you're not and I'm not letting this drop until you tell me"

"Then you're going to waiting a while because nothing is wrong"

He sighed and turned his body so he was facing me. Even through the darkness I could see the concern behind his eyes.

"You're scaring me" he whispered and I could feel myself crying "I don't know what I can do to help. Every time I leave you think I won't come back. Nothing could pull me away from you, ever"

"I'm scared you won't have a choice" I looked up into his eyes "What if you get into a car accident or what if I'm with you and it happened and I didn't make it out alive? Every time you walk out the door…how will I know if it will be the last time I see you?"

"Nothing is going to happen to me. I'm a vampire Bella. A car crash would do nothing but hurt the car. Even if you were with me I'd protect you"

"That's what I keep telling myself but I can't make myself truly believe it" he reached up to wipe my tears "And it's not just the car crash. Anything could happen to you and I can't loose you Edward"

"You are not going to loose me"

"I'm too scared to even sit in a car. If I do, I know I'm going to see flashes of the accident"

"We'll get you through this, I promise"

He pulled me closer and kissed up my collarbone. I leaned into his chest and closed my eyes. I hope we could make it over this hurdle and I hope it wouldn't break our relationship.


	7. Hell Hole

"And he just came up and tried to lift the front of my shirt up"

"What did you do? Did you try call for help or try to fight him off?" the officer asked

"I tried to scream but he covered my mouth…so I kicked him"

"No one saw you or tried to help?"

"Not that I could see. It was raining out and the gas station was empty. It could have looked like we were just talking" I shrugged, not liking the memory

"Do you remember what the guy looked like?" he asked scribbling something in his notebook

"I didn't really get a good look at him" I looked towards the door, nervous that Edward was listening

He was home preparing my 'cell' or as he called it my room with Carlisle, the one thing I wasn't looking forward to. I didn't want him to know what happened.

"Anything at all can help…maybe he's done this before and someone else had pressed charges"

I nodded and tried my best to remember "He was old and had dark brown hair. He didn't look that strong but he was. He was… I don't know, just a big, old, and creepy man"

The officer pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to me "Call me if you think of anything else. I'll be in touch if I have anymore questions"

"Thank you"

There was a knock on the door and I hurriedly stuffed the card into one of the magazines on the side table.

"Come in"

I was relieved when it was my mom who entered. Had it been Edward he would've sensed something was wrong.

"Hi, sweetheart" she gave me a kiss on the top of my head

"Hi mom" I smiled

She was helping me pack everything since they still didn't want me moving around. Plus Edward always wanted someone here with me. I told him that she would be here as soon as he left, when in reality I planned it so I would have about 30 minutes to talk to the officer.

"Who just left your room?"

"An officer was just dropping off some paperwork on my car"

She got right to work with packing up my things. She moved about the room quickly and I moved my bed back so I could get some more rest.

"Bella honey, do you want me to pack Edward's clothes up too?"

"No, he can do it when he gets back"

My fingers picked at the covering that was on my inner arm. All my wires were gone but the nasty holes on my arms had to be covered my bandages. My mom zipped the last bag and placed it on a chair by the door.

"I think that's everything" she placed her hands on her hips "Do you need anything else?"

"Nope" I smiled at her

She came over and gently placed a kiss on my forehead. I was so glad that she was able to come for a couple days. Edward hasn't hovered as much as he had been. I think with my mom being here he doesn't want to intrude.

I figured since my mom didn't know my condition that well, I could get away with walking around the room. I carefully swung my legs around the side of the bed and used the walker to help lift myself up. I slowly made my way over to the window and opened it slightly. I haven't actually felt the warmth of the sun in a long time or the cool breeze.

"I can't wait to get out of here" I whispered to myself

"Brace yourself honey"

I felt cold hands on my waist and I gasped slightly at the contact

"What are you doing up on your feet?" he asked

"Enjoying nature"

"Come on back to bed" he tugged lightly on my face to pull me away from the window "You got the okay to come home on bed rest, not to stroll around"

"I'm fine Edward" I moaned

"I know but last thing we need is for you to slip and fall making them keep you here longer"

"Sorry Edward" my mom laughed at his over protectiveness

He helped my get situated in bed again and folded up half the blankets I wasn't using before placing them by the door.

"It looks better in here" he commented looking around

"I packed away pretty much everything" she told him

I moved over on the bed and patted the space next to me. He smiled and slid in next to me. I reached over to intertwine my hand with his and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"Are you tired?"

"A little, but I just missed you…a lot"

He leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of my head. I pulled myself closer and closed my eyes. He laughed lightly

"You're allowed to sleep"

"I'm fine"

I moved to reach for the remote and flipped the station to comedy show. My mom quietly excused herself but she took some bags back to my house. They would just bring them over when I got back.

"How are you feeling?" he asked

"Ready to go home" I yawned closing my eyes

"Ready to go?" he asked smiling slightly

"More than ready" I laughed sitting up "How long was I asleep?"

"A while" Carlisle said coming into the room

He came over to the bed and lightly grasped my arms to help lift me from the bed. He checked all my charts again and asked a couple more questions. Edward slung a couple bags on his back once I was settled in the wheel chair.

"I'm so excited to go home"

"I'm excited to have you home" he leaned down to kiss me

Once we walked up to the car I immediately started panicking. I really didn't want to get in the car and that fear came back. But I thought if Edward knew how afraid I was then he might keep me here. Of course I should've known that he would sense my issue. He leaned down so only I would hear him.

"You're fine love, nothings going to happen"

"I'm fine" I assured him

I scooted in the back seat and Edward leaned down in front of me, placing his hand on my knee.

"You know that I'd protect you no matter what right?"

I nodded afraid to use my voice and he smiled kissing my forehead and he scooted in next to me.

"Okay then lay down

He guided my head down so I was lying in his lap. He shrugged out of his jacket to spread over me. I grabbed onto his hand in a death grip and squeezed my eyes shut

"Relax Bella"

We finally made it home after the long and stressful ride. It was dark out and I could see the stars cover the sky, yet I wasn't tired. Must've been that extra nap I took before we left. We pulled up to the house and all the lights were still on. Edward came around to my side and helped lift me out of the car, keeping a firm hold on my waist.

I was ushered into the house and forced to sit on the couch while Carlisle finished getting the room ready for me to be prisoner in.

"The rest of the family should be home shortly. They didn't want to hover on your first night home"

He grabbed a blanket out of the closet and draped it across my lap. I flipped the TV on and the news was the first thing that came on. My eyes were wide open with shock when I saw old footage of my beaten up truck on the screen.

"Edward why am I on the news?"

"What are you taking about?" he asked handing me some water

"Look" I pointed towards the TV

"_I'm live here in Forks where an accident occurred behind me about a week ago. We have got more information on what caused the accident and statements from the victim's family"_

"Victim?" I was really confused

Edward sat down next to me, intently watching the screen. He must've known about this because he completely ignored me.

"_As we had reported before, 27 year old Josh Williams was killed instantly after a brutal car crash that landed a young female in the hospital"_

I couldn't believe what was hearing, I killed someone. I started shaking and Edward reached over to comfort me.

"I killed someone"

"No, Bella no" he kissed the top of my head "It was just an accident"

"Edward, I _killed _a human being" I cried

Because I wasn't paying attention, I cost someone their life. Their hopes and dreams, someone lost a son, a brother, and maybe even a father. Edward pulled me to him and the next thing I heard pulled me out of my thoughts.

"_William's mother was in tears when talking about her son's death"_

A small blond haired lady was crying into –I assumed her husband's shoulder. I braced myself for what she was about hear.

"_This was a terrible accident and this just proves that something needs to be done for the way teens drive. My son was a very successful young man and he had a lot going for him. We will miss him dearly and I hope this gets everyone's attention on the recklessness of driver's. He will not be forgotten"_

It then flipped to news reporter standing outside the gas station.

"_A service will be held for the victim on this coming Thursday. Right behind me here is where the accident occurred. New information has come in that an arrest has been made on this man, 45 year old George Cyrus, who allegedly attacked the young female causing the collision. No word yet on her condition"_

"Bella"

I shrunk into the corner; by that tone of voice I knew he was really mad. I really should have thought this out better. I knew he would find out eventually but I didn't think it'd be all over the news.

"_Cyrus was known for attacking and then raping 16 year old Anna Smith of Seattle last month"_

The power on the TV cut off and it was dead silence for what seemed like hours. I wiped a couple tears that I didn't even know had fallen.

"Edward"

He got up from the couch and started pacing the length of the living room.

"Why the _hell_ didn't you tell me?" he yelled "That's a pretty serious thing Bella. Some old bastard tried to _rape _you and you didn't feel the need to tell me?"

"I didn't want you to freak out like you are now" I cried standing up shakily

Esme and Carlisle walked into the room, obviously hearing our argument.

"Of course I'm freaking out. Someone tried to touch you in the worst way"

"Nothing happened" I tried to reason

"Bella did you forget that you were in a damn car accident, of course something happened"

"I meant with that guy" I yelled back, my head getting all fuzzy

"He should count his blessings that the police found him first" he hissed

"Edward!" I gasped

"I never should have let you go see Jacob, none of this would've have happened" he argued back

"Don't you dare bring Jacob into this. It's not his fault I almost got raped- which I hit the guy by the way-, or that I got into the damn accident, and it's not his fault you have insecurities"

At that point Esme and Carlisle rushed over to calm us down. My face was beet red and I felt dizzy.

"Calm down dear, take a deep breath"

"My head hurts" I whined

I placed my hand on my head and she helped me lay down on the couch. She rubbed my arms trying to get my heart rate back down. Carlisle was whispering something to Edward and he looked at me panicked before pushing away from his father.

"What hurts?" his hands hovered over me

I just closed my eyes and didn't answer him.

"You guys need to stop all this arguing. Last thing she needs is to end back up in the hospital on stress" Esme asserted

He laid his head next to mine and quietly ran his cold fingers up and down my arms. My eyes remained closed; I hoped he would just leave this conversation for another day.

"Son, just let her rest right now and try not to get her heart rate up" I heard Carlisle say before leaving the room.

"I'm so sorry love" I felt him place his hand on my heart and listen for a minute before sighing "I didn't mean to get you worked up"

"I don't like when you're mad at me"

"I'm not mad at _you_, I'm just mad that something like this can happen to someone as loving and caring ad you"

"I fought him off Edward, I'm not helpless"

"And believe me Bella; I'm so happy that you did. I don't know what I would've done if that guy actually hurt you more then he did. I just wish that it wasn't needed to fight him off"

"I'm sorry I played the Jacob card on you" I whined

"I'm sorry I let it get to that"

"I'm sorry…"

"Hey, no more apologizing from you" he interrupted "Let's just concentrate on getting you better"


	8. My Job Here is Done

"I'm so sorry" Edward mumbled for the hundredth time

"I'm okay" I sighed getting annoyed

"I can't believe I did that"

"It's not your fault"

"From now on you won't even have to lift a finger. You are not allowed on your feet unless you need to go to the bathroom…wait…nope, not even then I'll just carry you"

"Eww!" I would definitely be objecting to that

We haven't moved from our position since my episode in the living room. My heart rate quickly went down and I could finally see straight. I got really scared and it just proved to me how fragile I was.

"So you've forgiven me?"

"I was never mad at you" I smacked his arm playfully

He wrapped his arms around me so our faces were close together and I could feel his breath fanning against my face. I leaned up to place a gentle kiss on his lips…

"Edward honey, let's go" Esme smiled walking into the room

He sighed and pulled away slowly, me blushing quietly behind him. She and Edward were taking a mother and son hunting trip. They weren't going to be gone long, but Esme insisted that he needed some time to get his head straight and she wanted to be there when that happened. Of course my over-protective vampire fiancé wasn't too pleased with the idea.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he turned back to me

"I'll be fine and Carlisle will be here"

"I'll call every hour okay?"

"Cause that won't get annoying" I laughed

He leaned down to continue our interrupted kiss and grabbed his coat by the door. Esme blew me a kiss and winked.

"Are you ready for another checkup?" Carlisle asked coming into the room

"No, but I know I don't really have a choice do I?"

He shook his head and helped me off the couch and into Edward's room. I hated doing this and I tried to assure them all that it wasn't needed. But he said it was either this or back in the hospital.

"All your tests look good, but you're still complaining of headaches, am I right?"

"Every once in a while they'll flare up but nothing too bad" I assured him

"Well I can give you some medication to take and the headaches should fade in a week or so. If they don't make sure you let me know"

He unplugged all the machines and rolled them back in the corner of the room. Even thought I was home, Carlisle still had to send all my results to the hospital. I also had to go back once a week to get looked at by another doctor.

"Edward said he'd call around 7:00" he looked at his watch "The phone's right next to you"

"Thanks"

He had agreed to let me stay in Edward's room while I recovered. I was much more comfortable in here and I love his bed. I snuggled in the gold comforter and closed my eyes. I've been sleeping weird hours and eating weird. My body couldn't handle more than a bowl of soup and Gatorade.

"Taking a nap?" he laughed

"Maybe after he calls, I want to talk to him" I yawned

"Don't let him keep you up. At least rest your eyes"

He pulled the curtains closed and checked my IV before leaning down next to me.

"We'll get you as good as new in no time" he kissed my forehead and closed the door on his way out.

I reached for the remote and flipped on the flat screen that was hanging on the wall. I found a stupid movie that would just act as background noise. My eyes were closing but I forced them open. Almost as if he sensed I couldn't stay awake any longer the phone rang.

"_Hi"_ I smiled

"_Just doing my hourly check ups as promised"_ he laughed _"How are you?"_

"_Carlisle gave me more medicine for my headaches"_

"_Are they getting any better?"_ he sounded panicked

"_A little, they're more tired headaches then anything else. I'll be fine"_

"_Well get some sleep then, I'll be home in a couple hours. We want to hunt some elk on our way back and I promise I won't call again"_

"_Oh my dad said to call him when you get a chance. He wants to talk money agreements for the car…"_

"_He doesn't need to worry about that"_

"_That's what I told him but he insist on helping to pay for the damages or a new car"_ I urged

"_I'll talk to him later but please get some sleep. I don't want you worrying about these kinds of things"_

"_I'm not that tired"_ I yawned but tried to cover it up

"_Sure your not. Just to keep this in the back of your mind that Jacob had called me several times today. He wants to see how you're doing and I promised him that you would call later so you might wan…"_

I felt a soothing motion against the skin in my back and a soft humming noise. I already knew who it was but I didn't feel like opening my eyes yet; instead I turned my head towards the humming and yawned.

"You haven't hummed my lullaby in a while" I laughed

"You never ask anymore" he sounded hurt

"Well I will be from now on"

I noticed that his hands never left my back and that leaded to another round of questions. "Why is my shirt off?"

"You had a fever while you were sleeping, I was trying to get it to break" he explained

"Oh, why do I have a fever? I'm not sick"

"Not that I can tell but your immune system is weak and we've been shoving medication in you for a couple weeks now"

"Is that why I fell asleep? The last thing I remember is you talking to me about Jacob"

"Yeah you had worried for a moment" his hands stopped their motion and he leaned down so we were face to face.

"You're so sweet" I mumbled finally opening my eyes

There was a knock on the front door, Edward sighed but made no move to get up.

"He said he'd call first" he hissed

Whoever was at the door was not on Edward's good side. That must mean its Jacob. As if knowing what I was thinking he shook his head.

"It's not Jacob, he knows better than to just show up" he scoffed "It's the police officer from the accident. He want to talk to you again…Wait…when did he talk to you before?"

"My last day in the hospital when you were hunting" I swallowed loudly "That's when I told him about the guy that attacked me"

"Oh yeah, kind of hard to forget that. It's not everyday you find out your fiancé almost got raped on the news"

He pushed away from me and stomped out of the room. I felt completely abandoned but I didn't want him taking out his rage on the police. It would just get him into unneeded trouble and the guy was just trying to do his job.

"Edward wait"

I carefully scrambled out of the bed, limping my way to the top of the stairs. Carlisle had already invited him into the house and they were walking towards the living room. I caught Edward give me a warning glance then pointed back towards the bedroom. I crossed my arms and stomped back to the bed. He was here to talk to_ me_ and I have a right to know what they're talking about. I covered myself with his gold comforter, desperately wanting to know what they were talking about. But of course they were talking in hushed tones. Knowing I wasn't going to hear anything I reached over and grabbed my book from the nightstand table.

"Not fair" I mumbled opening the book

I just finished my last chapter when I heard muffled talking followed by laughter. I hated being left in the dark. They could at least talk a little but louder.

"I deserve to know what's going on. I'm the one who got hit by the damn car" I mumbled a little too loud and I think Edward heard me because he cut the conversation short

"Okay, I think we're done here. Thank you for the information and I'll definitely take your advice and look into it. I'll call you if she thinks of anything else"

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and I quickly made sure my nose was in the book. He entered quietly and paused at the door before coming over to me.

"You know" he started "I don't appreciate you making those types of comments"

I ignored him and kept my face engrossed in my book. He sighed and sat down next to me, resting his hand on my upper thigh.

"I know you're upset but I didn't want you talking to him. He thought you were sleeping"

"Whatever"

"Please don't be mad" he reached over and snatched the book out my hands

"Edward!"

His hand curved under my chin and he turned my face towards mine. Our lips touched briefly but I was the one to pull back and I reached over to pick my book up again.

"You made me loose my place" I sighed

"Bella he thinks you need therapy"

I closed my book and stared at him opened mouthed.

"Who the hell made him boss?" I scoffed getting out of bed

"Bella I don't like this either but hear me out" he followed me out of the bed and across the room "Believe me when I say that I wanted to throw him out right when he said it, but he…"

"He what?" I snapped "Magically popped into my head to discover my deepest and darkest thoughts"

"He told that you were showing signs of a post-traumatic depression and I don't want you to go down that road"

I turned around to face him, my eyes brimming over with hot tears. How could he betray me like this? He looked completely shocked to see that I was this upset about it.

"I'm not crazy" I sniffed wiping my nose

He hesitantly placed his hands on my crossed arms and I didn't shrug him off.

"You are NOT crazy" he said sternly "I'm scared and I want to help you"

"Don't be scared, I'm fine" I countered back

"No you're not and everyone is noticing"

"Edward I said I was fine"

"Alright then, let's go for a drive then shall we?" he headed towards the door

He was testing me and I was failing miserably.

"I don't want to go for a drive" I stuttered

"Why?"

"Because I don't want too" I yelled

"It's because your scared love and its okay to be" he said softly coming back towards me "You were in a car accident and now you're terrified to get back in a car"

Memories of the accident flashed in front of my face and I could hold back the scream that escaped my lips. The man trying to attack me, the headlights coming straight at my face, and Edward's pained face in the ambulance. I sharply turned around so my back was towards him and covered my face. I took deep calming breaths as my heart rate started to rise.

"Love, calm down" Edward urged coming over to wrap his arms around me "It's alright your safe. I'm right here; nothing is going to hurt you"

He started rocking me back and forth as he desperately tried to calm me down. I know that I didn't want to go in a car but what's wrong with that? It's normal to be scared.

"Every time I think of it, memories of it flash in front of me. It's like a horror movie that I can't turn off"

He moved so he was kneeling against the wall allowing me to sit on his legs "I want to help you but I don't know how. But he gave me the number of a good therapist that has experience with this type of…"

"I don't need therapy and I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm done"

I got off of him and walked towards the bathroom. I didn't want him to see me crying anymore then he already has. I quickly closed the door and slid down on the floor next to the bath tub. I knew he could hear me but at least he couldn't see me. I heard a loud groan and the door to our bedroom shut causing me to jump.

"Please don't be mad at me" hoping he could still hear me

I lay down on floor and I think at some point I eventually woke up. I was awoken by a knock on the door.

"Edward?" I asked hopefully

"Nope"

The door opened to reveal a distraught looking Jacob. I quickly wiped my tears and sat up straight.

"What are you doing here?"

"Edward called and said you were having a breakdown in the bathroom" he laughed "He thought I could knock some sense into you"

He slid down on the floor next to me like nothing was wrong, hands on his knees.

"They want me to go to therapy Jake" I turned towards him

"I know, they told me. To be honest I think that's the dumbest idea ever"

"Really?" I sounded hopeful

"Yeah" I shrugged "I don't want you seeing some stranger to talk about your deepest and darkest thoughts"

"That's exactly what I said"

"I mean all you're going to do is sit there like a freaking statue while someone asks you 'how do you feel about that?'"

"Why are you the only one that gets it?" I sighed

"Because I'm actually listening to you instead telling you what to do"

"Thank you" I leaned my head on his shoulder

"You just need to forget about it. Get over it already"

"Jake!"

Why would he say something like that? He didn't really think that I could just get over it like that could he? I don't know why I couldn't do it. I really wanted to but I was literally frozen where I was unable to move. I didn't want to be afraid but the fear was controlling my entire body.

"Come on, I rode my motorcycle here let's go for a ride"

"No" I said sharply pulling my hand out of his

He stood up and grabbed me around the waist.

"You'll never get over your fear if you don't face it heard on"

"No please" I cried

He had to be playing with me, but the look in his eyes showed no remorse just annoyance. He really thought that jumping on a motorcycle would help. Edward would have a cow if I tried to leave this room without him.

"Bella let's go" he urged "Edward said I could do this my way"

"I don't want to go. Edward would never agree to this if he knew it was hurting me!"

"Edward doesn't care" he yelled "You either need therapy or you're fine, so let's go hop on the bike"

"What the hell Jacob!"

I looked up in time to see Edward assessing the situation in his bathroom. He caught sight of me cowering in the corner and rushed over taking me in his arms.

"You're okay Bella" he hushed

"You said I could do this my way" Jacob shrugged

"I didn't think that meant hurting her like this" he yelled

"Edward I think there's something wrong with me. I don't want to be afraid anymore"

Jacob crossed his arms and smirked at me. Edward just growled in response and turned to look at me.

"I think I need to talk someone. Not that I can't talk to you but I need someone who doesn't know me that well. Someone who's not afraid to give it to me straight" I continued

"'I told you I could get it out of her" Jacob huffed "My work here is done"


End file.
